Sen. Aquino seeks to empower barangay captains to administer oath of the President

Sen. Benigno “Bam” Aquino. Photo from Aquino’s official Facebook page.

MANILA – Sen. Paolo Benigno ‘Bam’ Aquino has filed a bill seeking to empower barangay (village) captains to administer the oath of office of the President of the Philippines.

Under his Senate Bill No. 2334, Aquino proposed to amend Chapter 1, Section 41 of Executive Order 292 to include barangay captains among officers who have general authority to administer oath.

“By empowering the Punong Barangay to administer oaths is an affirmation and recognition of its critical role in our society,” said Aquino in a press statement.

“Aside from carrying out government programs and projects in the barangay level, the punong barangay also serves as the leader and a source of legitimacy by its constituents,” the senator added.

If passed, barangay captains will join other officials who have the authority to administer oath, among them the President, Vice President, members and secretaries of both Houses of Congress and members of the Judiciary.

Under EO 292, other officials who have the power to administer oath are members of the judiciary, department secretaries, governors, vice governors, city mayors, municipal mayors, bureau directors, regional directors, clerks of court, registrars of deeds and other civilian officers in the government whose appointments are vested in the President and are subject to confirmation by the Commission on Appointments.

Other constitutional officers, public attorney’s office (PAO) and notaries public are also empowered to administer oaths.